Losing Forever
by Luna Cat Kitty
Summary: Jeong Jeong risked losing his life in the war, only to come home and lose what was most important to him. During a coincidental stop in his old town after the war, Jeong Jeong crosses paths with familiar faces and forgotten emotions start to resurface.
1. Chapter 1

**Something I thought of in the shower. Apparently making Jeong Jeong's life worse is my specialty.  
><strong>**Hugs. Give Jeong Jeong hugs. Give him all your hugs.**

**I own nothing but Jeong Jeong's cheating whore wife.  
>Which is not something to be proud of.<br>And the other two.**

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><p>Jeong Jeong rarely cried, but when he did, it was with good reason.<p>

He cried when his wife left him. Accusing him of things that he's never done while fighting the war. He was never one to yell unless it was necessary. At that time after many false accusations and lies, he almost could care less for that woman. He did care for the child he had, that looked so much like his wife, yet strangely nothing like him. He knew the reason, but never said anything of it. It wasn't the child's fault.

After each rotation of floating out at sea, Jeong Jeong would be eager to sleep in his own bed at home. That never changed, even when he advanced in the ranks. Home is where the heart is. After a tour of duty when he got promoted to Commander, he briskly walked to his house with his few belongings in tow. Occasionally being stopped by someone he should know, but didn't. The new Commander rounded the corner and his home came into view. A rare smile crossed his face as he reached into his pocket for the key.

He crossed the small yard and climbed the few steps that led to the door. He put the key in the keyhole and turned like he normally would. He pushed the door to get it to open, but to no avail. He looked at the key and brushed it off and tried again, but with the same result. He touched his brow in confusion, no longer noticing the new scars, and tried to think of a solution. He frowned and tried for a third time to enter his home.

He stepped back and took a look at the house. It was his house, he knew that much. What he didn't know was why the locks were changed. He sighed and knocked on the door. He stared at the door and waited for an answer, but none came. He knocked louder the second time and caught his child peeking through the curtains. Jeong Jeong smiled and waved as he motioned to the door. He took a half step and waited for the door to open.

He heard the familiar creak of the door and looked down to see the pair of smiling brown eyes staring back up. He kneeled down and ruffled the boy's hair and received a laugh in return. Jeong Jeong heard a faint noise from further in the house and looked up. What he saw was his wife with a strange man's arm around her waist and a surprised look on her face. Jeong Jeong studied the stranger and noticed the not so strange resemblance between him and the child. He stood there in shock as he stared at his wife with the stranger, and the father of her child.

Jeong Jeong frowned as he stared at the two across the threshold. The small boy looked curiously between Jeong Jeong and his wife. The stranger motioned the boy over to him and kneeled to ruffle his hair. Jeong Jeong's frown only grew deeper as he watched the scene play out. The stranger picked up the boy and quietly, but quickly walked out of the room. Jeong Jeong's eyes lingered on his wife. His frown grew deeper as his back became rigid. He didn't know what to say or even how to go about it.

He opened his mouth to speak when the stranger walked back into the room and whispered something in the woman's ear. Jeong Jeong made an audible cough which instantly grabbed both of their attention. A heavy silence made its way in the room.

"Who are you?" Jeong Jeong finally asked.

His wife stepped forward, stopping halfway in between the two men. "You're home early."

Jeong Jeong brushed off the comment and looked to the stranger. "Who is he?" He gestured to the stranger.

"Just a friend."

Jeong Jeong solemnly raised an eyebrow, his calm façade not cracking. He inhaled a deep breath and slowly exhaled. He watched as all the missing pieces of the puzzle all came together. His frown deepened.

"Does this friend have a name?" The question left Jeong Jeong before he was able to stop it. He scolded himself inwardly. He personally didn't care for this person's name.

"Lee."

Jeong Jeong and his wife looked back to the stranger. The Commander noticed his wife do an obvious, but silent shushing motion with her arm and the stranger do a questioning motion in return. Jeong Jeong rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Why are you here?" Jeong Jeong asked. Of course, he already knew that.

"Am I not allowed to have company while you're gone, husband?" His wife turned to him as she spoke.

Jeong Jeong's eyebrow twitched slightly, but he still kept his composure. He rolled his eyes in annoyance and let out an irritated sigh. "I never said that."

"You were implying that."

"No. I wasn't."

His wife sighed and looked towards Lee. She turned back to Jeong Jeong and rubbed her temples. "I don't think this can go on." Her voiced showed no signs of sadness or regret.

Jeong Jeong raised an eyebrow in puzzlement. "What?"

"You're gone almost constantly and I get lonely." She paused and studied Jeong Jeong's solemn expression. "It's not fair."

It took all of Jeong Jeong's military bearing not to protest and cry out. He took a deep breath and spoke. "Not fair? You think it's not fair that I'm out fighting an endless war for our country? For our family?" His voice rose only slightly.

Her face grew red with anger and her fists clenched. "How is it your family if you're never here?" She exclaimed.

Jeong Jeong was silent. The quiet that enveloped the room seemed to weigh down on him. He stared blankly at his wife, waiting for her to speak.

She inhaled and walked closer to the Commander. "We've both made our choice and know what's best for us." She paused for a few moments. "I've made the choice that's best for my family." Jeong Jeong stood motionless. "I think that it's best that you leave."

Jeong Jeong's expression was a mixture of hurt, anger, and confusion. "What?" was all that was able to come out of his mouth.

"Your key." She held out her hand to Jeong Jeong.

Jeong Jeong handed over the useless piece of metal. Right after, he turned on his heel and walked to the door. He paused as he stood in the doorway. He walked out the house and closed the door behind him. The Commander looked back to what was once his home and saw the confused face of the child he cared for peek out the second floor window. He gave the boy a feeble wave goodbye as he walked away. Jeong Jeong was sure he felt a tear roll down his cheek as he walked back to the Prince's ship.


	2. Chapter 2

**You know how I said that this was a oneshot? Well... I lied. Like a rug.  
>Jeong Jeong needs more hugs, and the characters are quite interesting.<strong>

**Now I'm not sure how long this thing will be. O_o**

**So yeah, read, review, enjoy. There's nothing more I can say but this:  
>I don't own Avatar. Never have, probably never will, yada yada yada, Viacom, yada, Nickelodeon, yada yada, and of course, Mike and Bryan.<br>I'm not making any money off of this, heck I accidently skipped the first half of math class trying to finish this thing. Of which I paid for.  
>So take that and shove it, SOPA and PIPA.<strong>

**I mean, I own nothing. I love you all.  
>And Jeong Jeong loves hugs.<strong>

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><p>Hyo could barely remember any of his early childhood. His mother said that it was normal not to. Bits and pieces would come to him occasionally, but would vanish just as fast. Tiny fragments of memory would appear to him in dreams and stay until he was fully conscious. His friends would have painting upon painting of their early lives, while he had a few scattered ones here and there.<p>

He tossed another stone in to the lazy river and sighed. Life was boring after the war ended. His parents insisted that he was lucky to have only gone to basic training. For some strange reason, he wanted to go into the navy. It held a certain appeal to him, other than the fact that he wouldn't be on the front lines. His mother insisted on the other branch or none at all. He couldn't put his finger on why exactly. His mother was always picky about what happened those twenty some odd years ago. Another rock landed in the river.

The sun began to set on the horizon. Hyo lazily lay down beside the babbling river. Even though he was in his twenties, his mother wanted to keep him close. He never understood why. His eyes began to droop when his stomach let out a loud protest for food. He sat up lazily and sighed. Even though he wasn't a firebender, he could feel the temperature drop. Hyo groaned as he stood up and began to walk back to his small house.

His house. It stood with a crooked roof and a cracked foundation alongside many other similar buildings. Another reason he wanted to join the military. The road that winded through his neighborhood never failed to be muddy or flooded, no matter the season. He stepped up on the wooden walk way that acted as relief from the deeper mud was still coated. His footsteps made clunking sounds as he walked. He stood in front of the dirty house and sighed. He reached and opened the door. A musky smell met his nose. It was the same in all the houses. Soon another smell of cheap perfume mixed with rice met him. His mother was home.

He walked into the crooked structure and closed the door behind him. Hyo heard a noise from the kitchen accompanied by a hello. He steadied himself and waited for a hug from his shorter mother. A short woman dressed in fine, but worn and faded clothing came up to her son and locked him in a gentle embrace. The smell of cheap perfume was stronger. The clink of fine jewelry sounded whenever she moved. Once his mother freed him, he noticed that she rubbed a bracelet, as if trying to shine it. He sighed quietly.

"How are you this evening, Hyo?" She asked with the slight aristocratic tone in her voice.

He smiled and nodded. "Fine, mom. Just bored as always." He rubbed his neck and sighed.

A polite chuckle came from his mother. "You're just the right age to find a job, you know." She giggled.

He chuckled too. He knew it was a joke. Ever since he returned home, she tried to keep a tight hold on him. Hyo missed his companions that he met in basic training. They came from all walks of life. Farmers, people like him, people that were middle class, and so on. Hyo couldn't help but notice that the upper class and noble boys were separated. He shrugged it off and ignored it.

The door opened behind him and his mother. Hyo maneuvered out of the way and let his father enter the tiny lopsided house. His face was exhausted from that day's work. He couldn't blame him; he worked to provide for the three of them. He removed his overcoat and hung it in the small closet by the door. His nosed scrunched up as the scent of the cheap perfume grew stronger.

"Natsu, do you always have to wear that garbage? It's giving the entire block a headache, me included." He rubbed his temples in annoyance.

"Lee, you can't blame me for wanting to stand out in this drab place." She sniffed the air in disgust.

Hyo knew that it was the best time to leave the room and he did. It was a normal occurrence. His parents would argue over money and any of the related issues. It was another reason why he wanted to leave. He was sick of it. Hyo walked into the kitchen and continued working on his mother's forgotten cooking. The rice was sticking to the pot and was burned on at the bottom. He grabbed the pail of water and poured a small bit into the rice to try to salvage it. He looked around the kitchen and saw that there was nothing else. Plain rice and water for dinner. Again.

At least the navy's plain rice had flavor.

He heard the voices grow louder in what seemed to be a different argument. Taking the rice pot off the fire, he began to listen in on the louder conversation. It was better than staring at a pot of half burnt white rice. He could only pick out bits and pieces of it, but could easily place the jumbled words into proper context.

His father was speaking this time. Hyo heard something along the lines of a past marriage. He raised an eyebrow and inched closer to the room to catch the specifics. It was his mother that was yelling. He could hear her protesting against something that he didn't quite catch. Again she was yelling, but this time something about a man in the navy, a large house, and an apparently larger sum of money. He muttered something to himself and leaned closer, acting like he was grabbing the dinner table cloth. Hyo heard his father and his familiar groan of frustration.

The argument about the mysterious large amount of money continued. Hyo was sure he heard his mother say something of taking everything someone was worth. He raised his eyebrow in confusion again as he heard more talk of the strange navy man and his strange amounts of money. Soon he heard his father start rattling off jobs his mother was capable of doing. Hyo knew that it was best to leave the house for a few hours. He slipped quietly out the back door and towards the city.

He walked quickly away from the mud hole that he called his home and to the clean stone streets of the city market. He slowed down and walked through the crowded market. The sun was almost below the horizon line, but the people made their way about the streets minding their own business. Hyo sighed and envied the people who didn't live in that muddy place. He walked towards the small harbor, yearning to see the ocean. What he saw was the usual fishing boats and the silhouette of a larger ship sailing away. What he didn't expect to see was a rustic looking ship with strange blue sails and an off white flag with a flower design on it. He looked closer at the ship and thought he saw something that looked the bone of a larger animal. He glanced at it again and shrugged it off. Hyo sighed and began to walk towards home.

Hyo made his way towards the large group of people once again and began to head home. From the corner of his eye he saw two strange figures walking through the large crowd. He turned his head and saw a pair of older men walking and what appeared to be talking. The taller of the two wore a red cloak over what seemed to be a blue set of clothing. The shorter one wore the uniform of an Admiral and continued to talk to his companion.

Hyo eyed the Admiral with curiosity. Before he knew it, he found himself walking closer to the stranger. He felt as if he knew the Admiral from somewhere else in an earlier time, but his mind kept drawing a blank. He closed his eyes in thought and felt himself run into a mass. Hyo opened his eyes and saw the confused Admiral standing in front of him. He looked down slightly to the shorter man and saw the perplexed expression of the man in red and blue.

"Uh…" Hyo paused; he felt the air caught in his throat. He gulped and finished. "Sorry about that."

The Admiral quickly composed himself and nodded in return. An awkward silence fell between the three men.

Hyo decided to speak once more. "So… What brings you here?" He eyed the Admiral and hopped for an answer that would help him.

The strange Admiral grew quiet for a few seconds as if trying to remember his purpose there. "We're just getting some things for the long trip back." The Admiral and the other man maneuvered their way past Hyo and said their goodbyes.

He stared at their backs as he tried to remember who the familiar person was. Hyo scratched his head as an idea came to mind. He quickly walked in front of the pair and smiled slightly.

"I'll show you the best shops. You look lost." He said, never taking his eyes off the Admiral. Hyo stood there as they nodded their heads in agreement.

He walked a few steps ahead so he could hear their conversation, but not too close to appear rude. Hyo led the way into the square and pointed out the good shops. Hopefully something that the Admiral would buy, would give a clue to why he was so familiar. Hyo looked to the other man in the blue clothes under a red cloak. He didn't seem familiar to Hyo in any way. He sighed in boredom.

It was better than being at home and being drug into an argument between his parents.

Hyo looked to see the Admiral's friend purchasing an array of snacks, from Fire Flakes to Sizzle Crisps. He heard his stomach give a low rumble. The lanterns that lit the streets were slowly lit as the darkness became harder to avoid. Hyo glanced at the Admiral and his friend debating on how long the pastries would last at sea. Soon they decided against the delicious treats and went on their way.

He noticed that the Admiral was leading them to the upper class part of town, but said nothing as he fell in step next to the other man. The streets were quiet and no one made an effort to start a conversation. After a few moments the Admiral turned onto another street and paused in front of an extravagant house. Hyo knew of that house, he remembered his mother saying that they used to live in it when he was young. Hyo never questioned why they moved. He looked at the Admiral who stood in front of the building. No one spoke.

The silence was unbearable.

"I used to live here when I was a kid, apparently." Hyo said, not thinking.

The Admiral turned to him and raised an eyebrow slightly. A thick silence fell on the pair. "As did I. Many years ago."

Hyo raised an eyebrow. "Small world." He said. The answer to the identity of the Admiral was nagging at him, and why did he seem so familiar.

The two older men began to talk quietly between themselves. Hyo gave up trying to understand what they were saying and walked towards the house to give them their space. A louder and more familiar sound met his ears. The sound of his father's exasperated voice and his mother's chatter grew louder as they walked closer. Hyo looked back to see the Admiral promptly ignoring the conversation as his companion shot a curious glance to the arguing couple.

Hyo glanced over to his parents still arguing about the mysterious large sum of money. He sighed, hoping to get away from their argument. Hyo's mother spotted him and rushed towards him, leaving Lee further back. Soon Lee jogged and caught up with her.

As soon as Lee caught up, the argument began again, louder than before. "Natsu, what I'm trying to say is, is to stop your outrageous spending! Look at where it's gotten us."

Hyo tried to block out the conversation and looked back to the Admiral. He wasn't expecting to see the Admiral staring at them with a perplexed expression on his face. Hyo shrugged awkwardly and tried to mouth an apology. Just then Natsu and Lee's argument got louder, completely unaware of their small audience.

"Well perhaps then Natsu, you shouldn't have wasted all that money on mindless jewelry and other things that do no one else any good!" Lee shouted.

"Do you really expect me to give up my old life, just like that? I gave everything up for you!" Natsu retorted.

"Gave up? You ripped off that Commander, who was your husband, for nearly eight years while you were married, then continued to take half of his earnings for the better part of a decade."

"Taking his name was perhaps the biggest waste of time imaginable! The money and inheritance was the only thing that even brought me within a ten foot radius of that man!"

Hyo stood there, mouth wide open as his parents fought it out. His face grew red with embarrassment and shame as he remembered the Admiral and the other man, not even twenty feet away. He turned to the pair that had the misfortune of hearing the large argument. Again, Hyo was surprised. The taller man held on to the Admiral's shoulder as he stood there, glaring at his parents. Hyo noticed that the Admiral's face was flush with anger and his fists were clenched by his sides. He looked back to his parents then to the furious Admiral once again.

"Without me, you would have nothing, just like that worthless old throwaway of a husband that I had!" Natsu exclaimed as she thrust her arms for emphasis.

"What!"

All heads turned towards the source of the third voice. Hyo saw the Admiral shaking with rage. He backed away from the middle of the group. The confused Hyo looked towards his mother whose mouth was wide open in shock. He looked to his father, whose face grew pale.

"What are you doing here?"

The Admiral narrowed his eyes. Hyo saw the other man try to grab onto his shoulder, but quickly retracted his hand as if he got burned. He concluded that the Admiral was a firebender.

Natsu spoke again. "I said what are you doing here?" He was silent. "Why don't you go back to that hole that you finally decided to crawl out of, Jeong Jeong?"

Jeong Jeong frowned. "You really are as ignorant as you were before." He replied.

Natsu's face grew red. "How dare you!" She pointed at him accusingly. "Also, if I recall, you owe me about seven years' worth of alimony." She smirked.

Hyo watched the exchange with a puzzled expression. He didn't notice the other man standing next to him. Hyo looked to him for a possible answer, but only got a shrug in return.

"About seven years' worth of alimony and if I recall, all the fees that come with late payments!" She laughed as if she won.

Jeong Jeong simply rolled his eyes.

Natsu's face grew redder. "Don't you role your eyes at me! You've been holding out all that money from me. It's your fault that I have to live in a shack!"

The Admiral only snorted in response. He turned his head towards Hyo. "Your name is Hyo, isn't it?"

Hyo stared blankly at the Admiral who somehow knew his name. All he could do was nod in response.

The cloaked man spoke. "I'm assuming you have quite the history with these people."

"Keep out of this you old fool!" Natsu said as she pointed to the stranger. Jeong Jeong sent her a harsh glare. Natsu returned it with one equally as harsh.

"If you must know," Jeong Jeong started. "I have nothing to give to you."

"You're lying, Jeong Jeong!" Natsu accused. Lee sighed in annoyance.

"What I have been doing these past years is worth much more than any of the money I have earned."

"Well then, what have you been doing that's worth so much? As you know, I have my rights to half of what you've earned."

Jeong Jeong sighed as he rubbed his temples. "I have no money to give you."

"You're lying!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Maybe he's not." All eyes turned to Lee.

"You're going to side with him?" She spat out the last word.

"A lot of people lost their jobs after the failed Siege on Ba Sing Se." Lee paused. "Perhaps he just recently got it back."

"And how Lee, was he able to go without a job for so long?"

"Possibly by not spending all his money on stupid things like hair pins." His voice elevated.

A snort came from the cloaked man.

Natsu turned to him. "And who do you think you are? Laughing at me in such a way."

"Pakku."

"What kind of name is that? Sounds like something from the colonies." Natsu huffed.

"Even with so little, you're still stuck up." Jeong Jeong sighed.

Pakku rolled his eyes. "I hate to break up this touching reunion, but we should be going. The spirits won't keep the seas calm forever."

Jeong Jeong glanced towards the waterbender and nodded. He looked back to Natsu and Lee. "I'll leave you to your argument. I have more important matters that need to be taken care of." Jeong Jeong turned towards Pakku and began to walk.

Natsu huffed and blocked his way. "What's so important that you have to leave so suddenly for, Jeong Jeong?"

The Admiral brushed past the fuming woman and looked to Hyo. "It's been a while, Hyo." He paused for a few seconds. "You've grown quite a bit." Jeong Jeong shot him a small, but rare smile as he walked away with Pakku.

Hyo watched as the two older men walked towards the docks. He heard the squeaking of his mother as his father was silent. His father. Was Lee even his father? Hyo thought, that perhaps the Admiral, Jeong Jeong was his father. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. The confused youth inhaled a deep breath. As he did, the smell of rain became evident. He wondered if the coming rain would hinder the Admiral's ability to travel to wherever he was headed.

Hyo heard Natsu call him. He turned his head to see her motioning to herself, while saying it was time to go back home. Lee stood next to Natsu, rubbing his temples like he always did after an argument. Hyo sighed and shot a last glance to where the two men walked off. He began to walk to his parents as it started to drizzle. Natsu chirped about the rain and how it would ruin the fabric of her dress. Lee grumbled about the inconvenience that the rain would cause to his work. The only thing that Hyo could think of was the Admiral and how awkward the dinner conversations would be. The trio soon made it into their little shack just as the rain started to fall in heavy, thick sheets.


End file.
